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Tuesday, December 26, 2023

December Vignette - Sagittarius the Zodian

 Sagittarius 

 

            Embeth hurried down State Highway 5, thankful that the road was practically deserted even though it wasn’t quite nine o’clock. The wind was already picking up, signaling the storm front rolling in. When it arrived, the temperatures would dip into the teens and drop more than a foot of snow. The last thing she wanted was to get stranded out in the middle of nowhere overnight.

            If there was something to be thankful for, the sky overhead for the time being was crystal clear and bright. The moon was three-quarters full and on the wane. It was one of the reasons why she loved living out here. No city lights to blank out the panoply of stars.

            A mailbox loomed in the distance. She noticed the name ARCHER on the side when she passed it. “Three more miles,” she told herself. “Then I’ll be home sweet home.”

            The blowout almost threw her into a state of panic. Embeth wrestled with the steering wheel as she pumped the brakes, hoping to keep the truck on the road. She felt the wind spin her around before pushing her off the tarmac and into the ditch where her pickup landed at an angle that was still somewhat right-side-up.

            It took her several moments for her heart to stop racing as she continued to grip the wheel, her eyes wide with shock. She knew the truck could easily have rolled end over end and landed upside down. The windows could have blown out. She could have been seriously injured, in spite of her wearing her seatbelt. A hundred possibilities that didn’t occur rushed through her until she was finally able to get a grip on herself and take deep, slow breaths.

            She was sitting at a hard slant. The driver’s side door was jammed against the culvert’s slope. Experimentally, she pressed down on the accelerator to see if she had any sort of traction, but other than rocking a little, it was clear the vehicle wasn’t going anywhere soon.

            She reached for her purse but it wasn’t there. Turning on the interior light, she found it wedged underneath the passenger side floorboard. After some struggling, she managed to retrieve it, but her cell phone wasn’t inside.

            Adrenaline continued to flood her system as she pressed her forehead to the seat. “Calm, girl. Calm down so you can think straight. You know the phone has to be in here someplace.” Then she remembered she could call out to it. “Hey, Bailee! What’s the temperature?” There was no answer, and she didn’t have to guess why. “Just my luck, I’m in a dead area.”

            A shooting star suddenly arched high above her, brightening the cab’s interior to where it almost seemed like daylight. It quickly dimmed, leaving her in the semi-darkness.

            “Think, Emmie, think. You’ve read about what to do if you get stranded.” Closing her eyes, she took another deep breath. “I have to preserve heat, but I can’t keep the engine running. I have to turn it off and only turn it back on at intervals. That way the battery will last and I can manage through the night.”

            There was no way she could trudge the three or so miles to her place. On a calm night, it wouldn’t be a problem. But with this storm coming in, the exposure alone could kill her.

            Turning off the engine, she also shut off the headlamps. On one hand she knew she’d be nearly impossible to spot if someone happened to drive past her. But on the other, she hoped she’d be able to see their headlights before then and flash hers to alert them.

            Wind gusts continued to rock the truck. The vehicle squeaked and shuddered like a trapped animal. Embeth undid her seatbelt and tried to get comfortable while also being able to keep an eye on the road.

            She must have dozed off when another intense light blazed overhead. Staring at it, she could almost imagine it was an arrow gliding across the heavens, leaving a fiery trail behind it.

Tightly bundling her jacket around her, she listened to the sound of the wind, and eventually the patter of snow as the first flakes started hitting the glass. By that time the cab’s interior was becoming unbearably cold. Reaching up, she was about to turn over the engine when a man’s face suddenly appeared over the side of the windshield, illuminated by a flashlight. Embeth screamed in fear.

The man threw up his hands, fingers spread. “It’s okay! It’s okay! I’m here to save you!” he yelled so she could hear him above the rising wind.

It took her a moment before she recognized him, or thought she did. She was about to mention it when he called to her, “Can you start the engine?”

Despite her gloves, her fingers felt stiff, nearly unresponsive. Still, she was able to turn the key to the old pickup. There was a grinding noise, but the motor failed to start.

The man shook his head. The fur trim around his hood jerked haphazardly across his face and forehead. “I think your engine stalled!” He gave the door a hard tug. “There’s no way to get you out on this side. Can you climb over to the passenger side door?”

She nodded when in truth she was doubtful. Still, she managed to brace her knee on the center console and unlocked the other door by hand. The guy appeared on the other side of the vehicle and opened it. Embeth reached up to him, and he hauled her out of the cab. She was able to catch a glimpse of what appeared to be a horse before he wrapped her securely in a heavy blanket.

“Just get comfortable. I’ll have you back at my place in no time.”

Back at his place? She didn’t question him but snuggled into the blanket’s folds as the man led the horse down the road. Or rather, along the side of the road.

“Wh-where’s your car?” she asked, peering up at his strong profile. He’d tucked the flashlight inside the blanket with her, enabling her to see him. Yet there was no illumination to show the way. “Are we on a h-horse?”

He grinned. “You could say that. By the way, my name’s Wright, like the brothers who flew the first airplane.”

“What’s your first n-name?”

His chest was solid and warm. Perfect to cuddle against. He must have sensed her feelings and cradled her closer. “That is my first name.”

“Why didn’t you come in a vehicle?” she asked.

“Roads are too slick.”

Then he was out in this weather on a horse?

She was aware of them passing a gate. In the flashlight’s faint glow, she caught the name ARCHER on the side of the mailbox. The one she’d passed earlier.

Wright took her up the short drive and straight inside his house. It was warm and brightly lit. Taking her into the living room, he bent over the back of the sofa to lay her on it. “I’ll only be a minute. Make yourself comfortable.”

Embeth slowly unwrapped herself from the wool blanket and sat up when it hit her. They hadn’t gotten off the horse, but came straight in. He rode it inside the house?

Wright entered from another door, without the horse. She assumed he’d come from the kitchen. He held two mugs, one of which he handed to her. “Have some hot chocolate. It’ll chase away the chill.”

She eyed him over the rim of her cup as she took a sip. She’d only seen him a few times. Random incidents and spottings. Then she remembered she hadn’t given him her name.

“Thank you. By the way, my name’s Embeth.”

“Glad to finally meet you,” he admitted. “I’ve seen you pass by several times. You bought the old Ackerman place, right?”

“Actually, it’s my grandfather’s place, on my mother’s side. My last name is Fields.”

“Let me guess. You inherited it?”

She snorted. She got the feeling she could be truthful to this man. She couldn’t explain why. Same way she couldn’t explain how she knew he wouldn’t hurt her.

“I got tired of living in the city, with the high cost of living and all the crime. Thought I’d give my grandparents’ place a try.”

“So you’re not a farm girl?”

She grinned. “Hardly. Between my inheritance and my writing, I manage to get by. I’m happy here.”

“What do you write, if I may ask?”

Embeth snorted. “Crime novels.”

His eyebrows went up. “Wow. Under what name? Maybe I’ve read one.”

“Right now I’m working on my Fallow Fields series under the name E.M. Strother. Strother was my mom’s maiden name.”

She was surprised to see his expression of amazement. “I just finished ‘Beneath the Fallow Fields.’ That was pretty damn good. You had me guessing up until the last chapter,” he confessed.

“Thank you.”

After another minute or two of comfortable silence passed between them, she set her mug on the end table.

“Want more?” he offered.

“I’d like some answers, if you don’t mind.” She tried to keep her voice low and even. She didn’t want to irritate or make him angry at her. Not after he’d gone to all the trouble to save her.

He crossed his legs from where he sat in an overstuffed chair. “What would you like to know?”

“The truth.” Wrapping her arms around herself, she faced him. “I’m grateful you saved me. I really am. I don’t think I would’ve lasted the night out there with this storm blowing in. But how did you find me in that culvert?”

“I was passing by and spotted your headlights.”

“How? That’s what confuses me. My place is farther down the road. I know I’d already passed your cutoff when my tire blew.”

“I told you. I spotted your headlights before you went off the road.”

“How?” She studied him. “You saw me crash?”

“No, but I heard it.”

Embeth shook her head. He sounded truthful, but it still didn’t add up. “Wright…”

He sat up and placed his mug on the floor by the chair’s leg. Turning to her, he gazed at her with a guarded expression on his face. “If I tell you the truth, you won’t believe me.”

“How do you know that? You don’t know me at all,” she countered.

“You’re right. I don’t. But I can sense things in you that make me believe I can trust you.” He bowed his head for a moment, as if to center himself, then looked back at her. “Embeth, I’m a Sagittarian.”

She gave him a confused look. “A Sagittarius?”

“Sagittarian,” he corrected. “Like the zodiac…sort of.”

“I don’t understand.”

“There’s not many of us. Maybe a couple of thousand scattered around the world. But we were…are…the inspiration for the sign in the zodiac.”

Embeth softly chuckled. “I’m not an astrologer, but isn’t Sagittarius half-man, half-horse?”

A slow smile crossed his handsome face, when she remembered the horse they’d ridden back here. He’d kept her bundled, she thought to keep her from becoming more chilled, when in fact…

“You didn’t want me to see you were a, what? Centaur?”

Wright leaned back in his chair. “I saw your truck’s headlights in the distance. I was watching you when I saw the taillights suddenly disappear.” He gestured to his body. “My Sagittarian body is more resistant to this weather. I changed and went looking for you. I was afraid you might have run off the road.”

“How did you find me?”

He grinned. “I shot an arrow into the air.”

Embeth blinked, recalling the line of fire arching across the sky. “The meteor. It was you. Both times?”

“Once I realized you’d wrecked, I went back to grab my coat and a blanket. I’d hoped you’d only be able to see me from the waist up. It was a chance I was willing to take. And, yes, I shot a second arrow overhead in order to find your exact location.” He tilted his head. “You believe me, but you still don’t believe me.”

“You have to admit it sounds a bit farfetched.”

He nodded. “That’s what I thought you’d say. Excuse me for sec.” Getting up from his chair, he went over to the doorway leading to what she thought was the kitchen. He kept his head in view but hid the rest of his body from sight. “This won’t take long,” he promised, and she heard the sound of what she assumed was him undoing his pants.

His head bowed slightly, then there was an odd clomping noise. Wright continued to watch her as he stepped through the doorway, into the living room.

Embeth stared in shock but no longer in disbelief at his equine half. He’d kept his long-sleeve denim shirt on, but she could tell his human half ended at the hip.

“If you want to, you can come over and pet me,” he half-teased.

She got to her feet and made her way over to him. Removing her gloves, she stroked the unbelievably soft hide. The hard muscle underneath. “Your fur is brown, like the hair on your head.”

“What? You were thinking we were all blond Palominos?”

He was teasing her again, and she discovered she liked his good-natured attitude. “Well, yes.”

He watched her examine him. “In case you’re wondering, we’re not born this way. We look human until we’re about twelve to eighteen months old. That’s when we begin trying to transform.”

“It’s a good thing. I dread to think what the doctors would think if you came out of your mother looking this way.”

That made him laugh, and she found herself liking the sound of it.

“Embeth?” He reached out and took one of her hands in his. “I’m trusting you with my deepest secret, but I know I have nothing to worry about. I’ve been wanting to meet you. I’m sorry it had to be under these conditions.”

“I’m not,” she confessed. “I’m glad you saved me. I’m glad you trust me. I’m glad you…” She wanted to say more, but words failed her.

He gave her fingers a squeeze. “You’re welcome to spend the night. Tomorrow morning, we’ll call the tow company to come get your truck out. Hopefully, it won’t be too difficult to fix.”

“I had a blowout.”

“But there could be more damage since you went into the culvert. Don’t worry. We’ll get it all straightened out.”

She stared up into his big brown eyes and smiled. “Thank you, Mr. Archer. I accept your offer.” And anything more you might suggest in the near future, she silently pledged.

He let out a breath as if relieved. “Great! Now, I haven’t had supper. Have you?”

“Come to think of it, no. I was planning on making a sandwich when I got home.”

“How do you feel about pancakes? I’m hungry—”

“As a horse?” she interjected, earning more laughter from him.

“I was going to say I was hungry for pancakes, since I sometimes have breakfast for supper, but your analogy is quite fitting, given what we’ve just discovered,” he admitted with wide smile.

“Pancakes work for me. Show me the kitchen.”

“It’s right in there. I’ll join you shortly. I need to put my pants back on,” he said, adding a wink.

Giving him one in return, she smiled and went to get started on their meal.


Linda's Website

Monday, December 25, 2023

HERE BE NEWS for Monday December 25, 2023

 

 




 Monday December 25, 2023 

Welcome to HERE BE NEWS, where each monday we bring you all the latest from the fantasy romance authors at Here Be Magic:



Tuesday December 19, 2023: PG Forte introduces her new promo event, 12 Days of Yule, going on now. Check http://rhymeswithforeplay.blogspot.com/  for details.







Free Books! One Day Only






So, a couple of weeks ago I ran across the following meme:





And it reminded me of the following scene from Light Up the Night (which is going to be FREE for five days starting on Christmas day!). In this scene Heather is arguing with her sire, Marc, about who she is and isn't allowed to date. 

Oh, and in case you aren't familiar with the Children of Night/Beyond the CofN series, everyone mentioned in this post (well, not Lesley Gore, obviously) are vampires. 

This is an age gap story. For reference, Heather was a teenage runaway when she was turned (against her will) just a year or two earlier. Marc is NOT the guy who turned her, but IS her "guardian" now (long story) and super-protective. He was born in 1969--which makes him really young by vampire standards, not so much by Heather's Gen Z standards.  Drew and Elise, OTOH, are both several hundred years old.


“I thought you liked Drew. Aren’t you supposed to be friends, or something?”

“I do like him. And of course, we’re friends. Did you really think I’d have trusted just anyone to look after you? I don’t like being the bad guy. I don’t like making the people I care about unhappy. But he’s just too damn old for you. There’s no getting around that.”

“And how much older than you is Elise?”

“That’s different.”

“No, it really isn’t. It’s a double standard—and that’s not different at all.” She shook her head. “You know it’s funny. People keep talking about how we’re a new type of vampire clan. They say we’re re-writing the rules and making history, and blah, blah, blah. And I’m not seeing it. But I do like the way it sounds. And I think it’s something we could maybe lean into a little harder. And you know where a good place to start would be?  If you let me make my own decisions about who I get involved with. It’s like the song says: you don’t own me.”

Marc frowned. “Wait. Did you just quote Lesley Gore at me?”

“No?” Heather replied. “I don’t even know who that is.”

“She was a singer. She’s dead now, but she was very popular during the sixties. That song was one of her biggest hits.” 

“Oh. Well, then maybe I did. But all I know is the song. And only that one part. I remember it from a movie I saw when I was a kid. I think the song was old then.” She studied him for a moment then asked, “So, you must be reallyold, huh?”

“Oh, thank you very much. Not that old, no.”

“If you say so.”

Marc shot her an amused look. “You know, someday, when you’re my age—which, by the way, is going to come along a whole lot sooner than you apparently think—I’m going to remind you of this conversation and ask you how old you feel then.” He shook his head and added, mockingly, “And you say you’re not a kid.”

“Yeah, because I’m not,” Heather replied. “Just because I’m going to look like a kid forever doesn’t mean you get to treat me like one. We’re not living in the nineteen-hundreds anymore.”

“Don’t you mean the eighteen-hundreds?  Although I wouldn’t know anything about that, since I wasn’t alive back then. You know who you could ask, though—right? That’d be Drew. Because he lived through that entire century, not to mention the previous two. Or maybe even the previous three. I don’t know for sure.”

“Nice try. But no. I said the nineteen-hundreds and that’s what I meant. Didn’t you ever see West Side Story? Or Titanic? Endless Love? The Notebook?”

“Wait—are you talking about movies? I thought we were discussing real life?”

“We are. But all those movies I mentioned were set in the nineteen-hundreds. In fact, I think they were filmed then, too. So, they’re probably reasonably accurate depictions of the idiotic notions you all had back then.”




Light Up the Night

A Children of Night/Ugly Christmas Sweater Story


Her love will light up his night. If they both can survive that long. 

 

Heather is having the worst Christmas ever! Or, at least, the worst Christmas since she was forced to become a vampire. Her sire's distracted, her nest-mates have forgotten her existence, and a bunch of weirdos have taken over her lair. The only bright spot in her life right now is Drew--who didn't even used to like her! She knows he's coming around, but that's not good enough. She wants more. She wants everything. She wants him. And she's not giving up. 

 

Drew Geiger gave up on love a long time ago. Such tender emotions have no place in a vampire's heart. But, somehow, the girl he once described as a "feral kitten" has got her claws in him, and she's not letting go. That would be fine, if only someone didn't want her dead--and if her sire didn't still inconveniently remember that it was Drew who'd once suggested that maybe she'd be better off that way.

***This story features characters from the Children of Night series. It takes place between books six and seven in the series and follows Going Back to Find You.***


https://books2read.com/LightNight

Saturday, December 23, 2023

Bring it Back(List) Light Up the Night by PG Forte

So, a couple of weeks ago I ran across the following meme:





And it reminded me of the following scene from Light Up the Night (which is going to be FREE for five days starting on Christmas day!). In this scene Heather is arguing with her sire, Marc, about who she is and isn't allowed to date. 

Oh, and in case you aren't familiar with the Children of Night/Beyond the CofN series, everyone mentioned in this post (well, not Lesley Gore, obviously) are vampires. 

This is an age gap story. For reference, Heather was a teenage runaway when she was turned (against her will) just a year or two earlier. Marc is NOT the guy who turned her, but IS her "guardian" now (long story) and super-protective. He was born in 1969--which makes him really young by vampire standards, not so much by Heather's Gen Z standards.  Drew and Elise, OTOH, are both several hundred years old.


“I thought you liked Drew. Aren’t you supposed to be friends, or something?”

“I do like him. And of course, we’re friends. Did you really think I’d have trusted just anyone to look after you? I don’t like being the bad guy. I don’t like making the people I care about unhappy. But he’s just too damn old for you. There’s no getting around that.”

“And how much older than you is Elise?”

“That’s different.”

“No, it really isn’t. It’s a double standard—and that’s not different at all.” She shook her head. “You know it’s funny. People keep talking about how we’re a new type of vampire clan. They say we’re re-writing the rules and making history, and blah, blah, blah. And I’m not seeing it. But I do like the way it sounds. And I think it’s something we could maybe lean into a little harder. And you know where a good place to start would be?  If you let me make my own decisions about who I get involved with. It’s like the song says: you don’t own me.”

Marc frowned. “Wait. Did you just quote Lesley Gore at me?”

“No?” Heather replied. “I don’t even know who that is.”

“She was a singer. She’s dead now, but she was very popular during the sixties. That song was one of her biggest hits.” 

“Oh. Well, then maybe I did. But all I know is the song. And only that one part. I remember it from a movie I saw when I was a kid. I think the song was old then.” She studied him for a moment then asked, “So, you must be reallyold, huh?”

“Oh, thank you very much. Not that old, no.”

“If you say so.”

Marc shot her an amused look. “You know, someday, when you’re my age—which, by the way, is going to come along a whole lot sooner than you apparently think—I’m going to remind you of this conversation and ask you how old you feel then.” He shook his head and added, mockingly, “And you say you’re not a kid.”

“Yeah, because I’m not,” Heather replied. “Just because I’m going to look like a kid forever doesn’t mean you get to treat me like one. We’re not living in the nineteen-hundreds anymore.”

“Don’t you mean the eighteen-hundreds?  Although I wouldn’t know anything about that, since I wasn’t alive back then. You know who you could ask, though—right? That’d be Drew. Because he lived through that entire century, not to mention the previous two. Or maybe even the previous three. I don’t know for sure.”

“Nice try. But no. I said the nineteen-hundreds and that’s what I meant. Didn’t you ever see West Side Story? Or Titanic? Endless Love? The Notebook?”

“Wait—are you talking about movies? I thought we were discussing real life?”

“We are. But all those movies I mentioned were set in the nineteen-hundreds. In fact, I think they were filmed then, too. So, they’re probably reasonably accurate depictions of the idiotic notions you all had back then.”




Light Up the Night

A Children of Night/Ugly Christmas Sweater Story


Her love will light up his night. If they both can survive that long. 

 

Heather is having the worst Christmas ever! Or, at least, the worst Christmas since she was forced to become a vampire. Her sire's distracted, her nest-mates have forgotten her existence, and a bunch of weirdos have taken over her lair. The only bright spot in her life right now is Drew--who didn't even used to like her! She knows he's coming around, but that's not good enough. She wants more. She wants everything. She wants him. And she's not giving up. 

 

Drew Geiger gave up on love a long time ago. Such tender emotions have no place in a vampire's heart. But, somehow, the girl he once described as a "feral kitten" has got her claws in him, and she's not letting go. That would be fine, if only someone didn't want her dead--and if her sire didn't still inconveniently remember that it was Drew who'd once suggested that maybe she'd be better off that way.

***This story features characters from the Children of Night series. It takes place between books six and seven in the series and follows Going Back to Find You.***


https://books2read.com/LightNight

Tuesday, December 19, 2023

PG Forte's 12 Days of Yule Event

 


I'm doing something fun for the holidays--well, I HOPE it will be fun, anyway! It involves free books, that's fun, right? I'll be posting details on my blog tomorrow so be sure to check it out!

https://rhymeswithforeplay.blogspot.com/2023/12/starting-tomorrow-12-days-of-yule.html

And, in the meantime, here's a Yule excerpt from OAK.

OAK

Twice each year, Aine Murphy ventures into the woods to hold ceremonies to honor the Oak King and the Holly King, never dreaming these Lords of the Forest could be anything more than myth. When the legends spring to life in front of her, how can she help but fall for the sexy demi-gods she's loved all her life?

 

From midwinter to midsummer, Fionn O'Dair rules the Greenworld as the Oak King--a role he feels is beyond his abilities, and one that dooms him to a loveless future, forever craving the one man he can never allow himself to have. How can he resist what Aine offers--the sweet devotion that soothes his aching soul, and the slim chance to live a "normal" life as her husband, if only for half a year?

 

Holly King Kieran Mac Cuilenn never desired a human lover--until now. Seeing Fionn and Aine together fills him with longing for the love he threw away and awakens feelings he thought he'd buried with the last Oak King. Is there enough magic in the solstice to correct the mistakes he made years ago? Or is he doomed to be forever left out in the cold?


https:///books2read.com/OakKing


From his vantage point, beside the farmyard gate, Kieran surveyed the seemingly peaceful scene spread out before him. The night was still with nary a breeze to stir in even the topmost branches of the nearby trees. High above his head, thin white clouds stretched misty ribbons across the sky, blotting out great swaths of stars and wrapping the half-dark moon in a gauzy embrace. Kieran studied the orb’s shadowed form for several moments, the better to divine her wishes. Fionn might claim to serve the sun alone, but Kieran, King of the Waning Year and creature of the ’Tween, knew better; there was naught on this earth could escape the Night Queen’s influence. 

In a little over a week, when the moon rose full, it would be for the thirteenth time this year. A rare and unusual occurrence, it signaled a time of transition and change, a time when one might reasonably hope to alter one’s path. A hot swell of anticipation arose within him as he thought of it, the moon of opportunity and rebirth. The opportunity to change—wasn’t that exactly what he needed, what they all needed?

Tonight. Why should it not be tonight?

The sentinels of the forest were used to biding their time—for centuries, if need be. A delay of merely several decades before a goal could materialize or a dream come to fruition meant little to one such as he. That didn’t mean he didn’t suffer through the waiting. It didn’t mean he couldn’t yearn, or covet, or long for what he did not yet have, or what he’d foolishly thrown away.

Tonight. Please let it be tonight.

After sending one last, silent prayer flying heavenward, Kieran lowered his head and refocused his gaze upon the cozy farmhouse nestled in its tidy yard. On the surface, it looked much as it had the previous year, warm and inviting, but as Kieran well knew, looks were oftentimes deceiving. 

Last year, even despite the pleasant setting, the sight of this place had sparked fear and uncertainty within him. Tonight, the small, seemingly innocuous stone building, with its white-washed walls and neatly thatched roof, with candles burning in the windows and a lazy curl of smoke eddying from the chimney, marked the seat of all his hopes and dreams, as well as the crux of his restless discontent. Everything he did not have yet dearly longed for, resided within.

It was that, more than anything else, that kept him standing out here in the cold, that made him hesitate, afraid to enter or even to make his presence known to those inside. Fear. Anticipation. Hope. Uncertainty. Excitement. Desire. Love. Regret. If his dreams were ever to be realized, it would have to happen sometime, would it not? I might be now, or a hundred years from now. Kieran would much prefer it be now, of course, but even a hundred years was better than the third alternative. 

It was still possible that his dreams might not be realized at all. They might die aborning and never come to life.

Maybe he’d already had his chance and lost it. Maybe what he longed for now, would never be his again. In truth, he didn’t know what to expect. That, at least, was the same as last year…

He hadn’t known what to expect then either. He’d sped here on the full moon’s bright wings and his own breathless terror. His whole mind had been focused on a single goal, that of saving Fionn’s life. When he’d arrived at the farmhouse, it was just in time to hear Aine threaten the life of his grove—and out of nothing more than spite! It had seemed to him then that his fears had all been justified. 

Now, he could laugh about it. A smile creased his face as he remembered how fierce and fiery she’d appeared. And, even despite the danger she represented, how very beautiful with her red-gold hair catching the fire’s light and her blue eyes gleaming like sapphires over her flushed cheeks. Even smudged with flour and seething with rage, she’d been a sight to render him almost speechless. 

She’d seemed even more magnificent in her anger and wounded pride than she had on that last midsummer’s morning. She looked like a goddess, or a proud young queen as she’d stared Fionn down. Her hands had been fisted on her hips. Her chest heaved with every angry breath. But queens and goddesses are oft’ times cruel, as Kieran was well aware. And, in that moment, nothing about the situation had struck him as even remotely humorous. 

So great was his concern for Fionn’s safety that it quickly consumed the greater part of his common sense—as a wildfire might consume the better part of a forest glen, leaving nothing behind but smoldering ash. Centuries of self-preservation were gone in an instant. In his headlong rush to save his king, he spared no thought at all to the risks he himself was taking. Though he’d made light of it at the time, harnessing the power of the ’Tween to manipulate time had been no small undertaking, yet he’d done it without thinking twice. Then, in a further effort to safe-guard Fionn’s life, he’d complicated matters even more by pledging himself to remain at Aine’s side for the next half-year. 

On the surface, it had seemed so sensible, so rational, and certainly harmless enough. It turned out, of course, to be anything but. Falling in love with Aine in the process of getting to know her? Well, how was he to have known that was even a possibility, never mind the real danger he would face?  

The fact that she was Fionn’s bride should have been his strongest ward against her. That alone should have sufficed to keep Kieran away. He’d been insulted when Fionn suggested he might be planning to seduce her. Now he could better understand Fionn’s concerns. He’d dare anyone to do what he had done, spend six months in her presence, day in and day out, and not fall under her spell.

Little had he known it, but from the very first night, when he’d set himself to the task of getting to know her, he’d been setting himself up to fall. He’d made up his mind that he’d answer all her questions, tell her everything she wanted to know, everything she needed to hear—anything at all if it might keep her from cutting down his grove. But it had been so long since he’d spoken about these things to anyone, much less to so pure and gentle a spirit. He’d failed to take his own feelings into account. He hadn’t realized how all his unspoken thoughts had piled up inside, precariously balanced, but far from stable.

Like a single pebble might start the landslide that would take down an entire mountain, so it had been with him. Once he’d started talking, once he’d begun giving voice to his grief, to his memories and regrets, he found it difficult to stop, even though every word, every revelation, every memory he uncovered for her was another callused layer that he’d had to peel away from his too raw, still aching heart.

Monday, December 18, 2023

HERE BE NEWS for Monday December 18, 2023

 

 




 Monday December 18, 2023 

Welcome to HERE BE NEWS, where each monday we bring you all the latest from the fantasy romance authors at Here Be Magic:



Thursday December 14, 2023: Deborah Bailey advises us to Keep an Open Mind When Worldbuilding.







Still a few days left to enjoy the 12 Tropes of Christmas--books, fun and games, and prizes!





Searching for your next favorite story?

Do you prefer your books in print?

 

Then look no further! These bestselling authors have teamed up to offer a delightful selection of new hardcover and paperback books. Available for a limited time.





Find your next, new Paranormal Romance here!





New!

ZODIANS
12 Romantic Vignettes Based on the Star Signs
Paranormal/
Contemporary Fantasy
/Post-Apocalyptic
by Linda Mooney
Word Count: 24.2K
$2.99 e / $9.99 p

 Includes:

Capricorn – Phillip discovers his guide is more suited for the terrain than he knew.

Aquarius – Meomi inherited her family farm, only to be hit with a major drought.

Pisces – Elliot came to get his fortune read. Instead, Dorrie discovered hers.

Aries – Thugs thought the old couple camping out would be easy prey.

Taurus – Tark saves a young heifer sent to the slaughterhouse where he works.

Gemini – Lucia thought she was the last person alive after an apocalyptic event.

Cancer – Arlene offered him water on a scorching summer day, not realizing how he would react.

Leo – Linsie discovers why one particularly reclusive movie star is considered to be “the least vain man in Hollywood”.

Virgo – Penni finds out that sometimes a minor traffic infraction can be a good thing.

Libra – It has been years since Myles has met a woman so pure of heart.

Scorpio – Aria’s story about a missing child isn’t what Hart expected to hear. Then again, she was nothing like he expected either.

Sagittarius –  It wasn't until an accident on a cold winter's night that Embeth finally got to meet her neighbor.

Excerpts and Buy Links: https://lindamooney.com/anthologies.htm 

Thursday, December 14, 2023

Keep an Open Mind When Worldbuilding

 The idea for my Hathor Legacy series came to me after I watched a PBS documentary on U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. After they went into the details of how FDR was infected by the virus that causes polio, I wondered what would happen with a virus that would fundamentally change the person who became infected.

Instead basing the story on Earth, I chose a settlement on a distant planet. Survivors of the infection would be left with PSI powers.

In book two of the series, Hathor Legacy: Burn, I went into more detail. The Guardians (the PSI security force) were descendants of settlers who were infected by a virus unleashed when the planet was terraformed.

Though the Guardians are not like the other humans on Hathor, they have their own culture and hierarchies within that culture.

Once an individual develops PSI abilities and becomes a Guardian, they’re forced to leave their family and give up their family name.

Nadira (the heroine) has to fight convention when she decides to continue her relationship with Jonathan Keel (the hero). Yet, her mother, Minona also fought against the established order.

As with any group, there will be outliers, but with the Guardians, if too many of them push back, it could destroy them and completely rip apart the fabric that holds the society together.

Novacorp needs them to hold on to their control, and yet the Guardians are strong enough to overpower them. At the heart of the story, conflict and tension exists between two groups that need each other for survival, yet don’t trust each other. And ultimately this conflict directly impacts the relationship between Nadira and Jonathan.

That’s how I got from FDR to the Guardians. Certainly not what I expected when I sat down to watch that program!

You never know what ideas will assist with your worldbuilding, and where they might lead.

The three books of the Hathor Legacy series are available on all major online booksellers including Amazon, Apple, B&N and Kobo.

Wednesday, December 13, 2023

New! ZODIANS, 12 Romantic Vignettes Based on the Star Signs by Linda Mooney

New!

ZODIANS
12 Romantic Vignettes Based on the Star Signs
Paranormal/
Contemporary Fantasy
/Post-Apocalyptic
by Linda Mooney
Word Count: 24.2K
$2.99 e / $9.99 p

 Includes:

Capricorn – Phillip discovers his guide is more suited for the terrain than he knew.

Aquarius – Meomi inherited her family farm, only to be hit with a major drought.

Pisces – Elliot came to get his fortune read. Instead, Dorrie discovered hers.

Aries – Thugs thought the old couple camping out would be easy prey.

Taurus – Tark saves a young heifer sent to the slaughterhouse where he works.

Gemini – Lucia thought she was the last person alive after an apocalyptic event.

Cancer – Arlene offered him water on a scorching summer day, not realizing how he would react.

Leo – Linsie discovers why one particularly reclusive movie star is considered to be “the least vain man in Hollywood”.

Virgo – Penni finds out that sometimes a minor traffic infraction can be a good thing.

Libra – It has been years since Myles has met a woman so pure of heart.

Scorpio – Aria’s story about a missing child isn’t what Hart expected to hear. Then again, she was nothing like he expected either.

Sagittarius –  It wasn't until an accident on a cold winter's night that Embeth finally got to meet her neighbor.

Excerpts and Buy Links: https://lindamooney.com/anthologies.htm 

Monday, December 11, 2023

HERE BE NEWS for Monday December 11, 2023

 




 Monday December 11, 2023 

Welcome to HERE BE NEWS, where each monday we bring you all the latest from the fantasy romance authors at Here Be Magic:



Thursday December 7, 2023: Nicole Luiken discusses some of her favorite Romantasy books






Enjoy the 12 Tropes of Christmas--books, fun and games, and prizes!




Find your next, new Paranormal Romance here!






Christmas Angel

An Angels in the Afterlife Christmas Story

Being fully transparent is good for a relationship, right? Well, maybe not when it’s literal.

 

Christmas Angel is a second-chance, holiday romance with a celestial twist. Probationary angel Jake Hennessy's been sent back to earth to mend fences with his ex. Or has he? Certainly Tony doesn’t seem to think that's the case. 

 

Tony DiCecco might have ninety-nine problems—and then some—between dealing with his meddlesome family AND running the family business (a Christmas tree farm in rural Texas) but he's pretty sure that playing catch-up with his ex-husband isn’t supposed to be one of them. 

 

And what would even be the point? It’s hard to imagine what kind of future the two of them could have when one of them is alive and the other...isn't.


https://books2read.com/Christmas-Angel



The 12 Days of Deathmas

A Collection of Holiday Horror

1st Day, The Tree - Anders swore he'd cut down his own tree this year, even if it killed him.


2nd Day, The Doves - Kelly's abusive husband couldn't tolerate the birds crapping on his car.

3rd Day, The Hens - Eris's mother-in-law offers to make her and Jessup a Christmas Eve meal to remember.

4th Day, The Birds - Mackie assures Gennie that the dead birds the cat was bringing her were meant to be a present.

5th Day, The Rings - Ricky tells his parents a bad Santa came to visit him and demanded the boy give him five gold rings.

6th Day, The Geese - They say geese can be mean-spirited. Daisy discovers why.

7th Day, The Swans - Alice found an old Victrola in her grandparents' attic. It was the music it played that horrified her.

8th Day, The Milk - Dara and her sister wonder why everything has the same expiration date.

9th Day, The Ladies - Careen couldn't figure out why her daughter no longer wanted the "nine dancing ladies" dolls for Christmas.

10th Day, The Leapers - Vina's daughter asks for more salt to finish the ten circles she's pouring in her bedroom.

11th Day, The Pipers - Macy noticed that one of the pipers on display is missing...but not for long.

12th Day, The Drums - Jayne gets to the point where she can no longer stand the relentless pounding in her skull.



https://www.amazon.com/12-Days-Deathmas-Collection-Holiday-ebook/dp/B0CPDHJ1GF